Replying to Knot on Day to Day weather thread this will definitely not last til May. The problem with April is that weather Systems are very stagnant as the switch happens to cold front mode. Most regions didn't have the autumn break in March so we are just stuck with heat pouring in from the Inland. Since SAM is negative all it will take for longwave troughs to line up and bang winter.

Of course only 1 week of April has gone, but many places, such as Penrith and Bathurst are already well on track to defeat April 2005 and have a record month for high monthly max.The sustained and relentless nature of the above average heat is what is interesting.@knot, I'll ask the Mods to change the thread title if it continues.Although there may be a separate thread if it stops for a week, and then reignites at or around Anzac Day etc.Edit: Penrith's record high monthly max for April is now 2016.

Edited by DerekHV (08/04/201810:13)Edit Reason: penrith april record monthly max

Maybe not so low-level; current forecasts indicate record or near-record April temperatures over significant parts of northern Victoria, and western/southern inland NSW, on Tuesday and/or Wednesday. The Victorian (37.8) and NSW (40.0) April records may both come under pressure.

Records for consecutive days/most days above thresholds are likely to be obliterated; to give one example, Dubbo looks like starting the month with at least 13 consecutive days above 30, more than double the previous record.

Maybe not so low-level; current forecasts indicate record or near-record April temperatures over significant parts of northern Victoria, and western/southern inland NSW, on Tuesday and/or Wednesday. The Victorian (37.8) and NSW (40.0) April records may both come under pressure.

Records for consecutive days/most days above thresholds are likely to be obliterated; to give one example, Dubbo looks like starting the month with at least 13 consecutive days above 30, more than double the previous record.

Dubbo has already beaten it's highest daily April max earlier in the month, and looks like upping the daily record again tomorrow. (25 years of records there only)Singleton has an outside chance tomorrow as well.Places with long term records, like Tocal and Williamtown, are unlikely to challenge the 1986 daily record though.Q: Is that NSW state April record in Deniliquin from 1875 reliable:

Heat really ramping up in SA and parts of Vic now. Feels so surreal. I spent the day on the lake and it was indistinguable from January except for bearing of the setting sun.

I am with you Morham. Heat to continue into May. And May to be a standout for warmth. I believe places that have not recorded a 30 in May, such as Nobbys, will do so. This April is panning out to be something not experienced before in places. Not max temps per se, but the preponderance of days over 30. So what's driving this?

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Tomorrow is Penriths chance to beat the all time April heat record of 36.6. That mighty record has stood since ...2016.

I have a problem with this statement, although I'm not questioning your thoughts. All good.Penrith's records don't go back very far, so a record now doesn't convince me it's a record.I know it's all we have to compare to, but I'm more convinced about 100 year records than 20 year records.Even 100 year records only give us a small insight to our climatic history, but it's better than nothing.

In the East of Sydney, the sea breeze is masking what is a truly bizarre run of heat for this late in the season. It was another nice day here after early cloud cleared, following another warm night.

I think that the true April record for the Sydney area is Richmond (old RAAF) with 38.2 on 4/4/1986 - full records back to late 1954, with patchy / incomplete records from 1939 to 1953. That doesn't look to be at risk, but average monthly maximum records could well be.

Another long record station is Sydney Airport, with 35.7 on 4/4/1986 (records since 1/4/1939).

EDIT: from a spreadsheet I downloaded a few years ago, some late season records for OH, the only station with records going back past 1939 (with online records, anyway):

No. NSW didn't introduce standard screens until the early 1900s; Sydney's pre-1900 instrument set-up is reasonably comparable with the present (at least in summer), but most inland sites read several degrees too warm. Often thermometers were simply hung under tin verandahs, with predictable consequences. (A few sites, notably Armidale, had the opposite problem; following a practice sometimes used in the UK at the time, thermometers were kept in an unheated room indoors, leading to a reasonable approximation of the mean temperature but a greatly suppressed diurnal range).

Tomorrow is Penriths chance to beat the all time April heat record of 36.6. That mighty record has stood since ...2016.

I have a problem with this statement, although I'm not questioning your thoughts. All good.Penrith's records don't go back very far, so a record now doesn't convince me it's a record.I know it's all we have to compare to, but I'm more convinced about 100 year records than 20 year records.Even 100 year records only give us a small insight to our climatic history, but it's better than nothing.

This is true. This current heat might actually be more normal for Penrith than the 20 year record sample we have.

I think that the true April record for the Sydney area is Richmond (old RAAF) with 38.2 on 4/4/1986 - full records back to late 1954, with patchy / incomplete records from 1939 to 1953. That doesn't look to be at risk, but average monthly maximum records could well be.

Camden was a little warmer that day at 38.5 degrees... does that count instead?

I think that the true April record for the Sydney area is Richmond (old RAAF) with 38.2 on 4/4/1986 - full records back to late 1954, with patchy / incomplete records from 1939 to 1953. That doesn't look to be at risk, but average monthly maximum records could well be.

Camden was a little warmer that day at 38.5 degrees... does that count instead?

Good find, that is the Sydney Basin record for April as far as I am concerned.Surprised nobody else noticed, bar you living in the Southwest.Everyone normally just looks at Penrith and Richmond RAAF (the old site) for Sydney Basin records.Parramatta for instance had the December max record for the basin from 1994 at 43.9C, up until last December that is when Penrith got 44.1C.Ironically this is still less than the November record, which is held by the current Richmond RAAF station. (not the old one which closed in 1994)The current Richmond RAAF station also has the February record for the basin as well, it just pipped Penrith in 2017 at 47.0C. The old Richmond RAAF still has the big one though, the Jan record from 1939.

I see that Sydney OH has now been 'upgraded' to 33 for today, getting close to record territory (34.2 in 2016).The Westerly is up and running and is apparently expected to blow for most of the day. The change due late this afternoon looks weak and short-lived, with the heat resuming Wednesday.

850 temps are a Summer-like 17-18 degrees over Sydney today. It might be hotter later this week, with 850 temps then around 18-19 with Westerlies, but cloud might take the edge of temps then.